Favorite Fall Spiced Tomato-Pumpkin Soup

I made this last week when I was (a) trying to eat extremely healthy to make up for some weekend indulgences and (b) really craving a big bowl of something hot, cozy, and autumn-y. Soup was the obvious answer. I love tomato soup and wanted to make a homemade version of that, but also noticed I had some pumpkin puree leftover in the fridge and didn’t want it to go to waste. Guess what? Pumpkin and tomato are great together. You don’t really taste the pumpkin-ness with all the other flavors going on, at least not overwhelmingly so, but it adds a nice thickness and fall flavor.

Heat a big soup pot over medium and add the coconut oil. Once that melts, throw in the onions and garlic and let cook until somewhat translucent, about 5 minutes. (Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn!) After that, turn up the stove to medium high and add the canned tomatoes, pumpkin puree, and vegetable broth and let everything cook down together for about 15 minutes.

Once the carrots are super soft and everything has cooked down, take the soup off the heat and bust our your immersion blender. Blend everything together (it’s okay to leave some chunks!) and return to medium heat on the stovetop. The soup should look pretty thick – stir in the coconut milk and your spices, and if it’s still a bit thicker than you prefer, add some more vegetable broth. I ended up adding probably another 1/2 cup of broth to even out the texture. It was still slightly thick and chunky, but in a good soupy way, not in a “why are you feeding me this awkward vegetable puree?” way.

Taste your beautiful soup and add more seasonings as needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with an additional drizzle of coconut milk on top. Serve hot! (And alongside a grilled cheese if you’re really feelin’ things.)